#SundayGunday: Ruger Super Redhawk .22 Hornet

Welcome back, to SundayGunday. This week, were checking out a new chambering for Ruger’s Super Redhawk. It’s not very often we devote an entire episode to a new chambering of an existing firearm, but this particular model is different enough to make the cut. The Ruger Super Redhawk has long been known as a durable, dependable DA/SA revolver for the dedicated handgun-hunter, or backcountry defender. With a triple-locking cylinder, extended framer, and a reinforced top strap, sidewalls and barrel mounting areas, these guns can fire the hottest loads available for their calibers—I’m thinking here  specifically of Buffalo Bore’s legendary 340 grain .44 Magnum +P+, which the revolvers are prized for their ability to shoot. Now, however, the platform has expanded into the light-shooting varminting realm with .22 Hornet.

Boasting all the same design features as its larger siblings, the Ruger Super Redhawk in .22 Hornet is a varmint or predator hunter’s dream sidearm. Despite the far lower recoil of the fast little round, the revolver still boasts the same triple locking cylinder, which locks at the front, rear and bottom, as well as reinforced stainless steel components, for generations of dependable operation. Its cold-hammer-forged barrel stretches 9.5-inches long, with a 1:9-inch righthand twist, stabilizing the round at adequate velocities for those longer shots. Further helping with this, the solid-steel barrel rib boasts integral mounts for a long eye-relief scope, extending the gun’s range tremendously. Scope rings are included. If such capability is not desired, the gun also sports a HiViz Green front sight and an adjustable rear, for still quite accurate plinking. Constructed from stainless steel, as is the rest of the firearm, the gun’s cylinder holds eight rounds. A transfer bar mechanism provides a safety against accidental discharge, while a Hogue Tamer Monogrip with an internal recoil cushion directly beneath the web of the hand makes for insanely soft shooting.

Out on the range, the gun was a dream to shoot. Even full-strength hunting loads left the barrel with virtually no recoil, what little there was being soaked up fully by the Hogue Tamer Monogrip. While the standard open sights were fun for plinking, equipping the gun with a scope and setting it on a rest prove the platform’s efficacy out to 150 yards. Shells were sometimes a little sticky to remove from the cylinder, making the stout plunger a real boon. For more information on this excellent eight shooter, which weighs in at 66 ounces, visit ruger.com. MSRP: $1499